3 Cities 1 Country

The variety of beauties that Estonia offers to its visitors is astonishing. We’ve had the opportunity to visit the capital, a college city, and a city on the border. Through these locations, we’ve seen history brought to life through buildings and fields, we’ve seen culture through food and music, and have gotten to understand more about this country as a whole, in ways hard to put into words. The three cities we’ve gotten to explore have been vastly different from one another, each intriguing in its own individual way.

Tallinn offered us a broad view of what the rest of the country could have to offer. Sometimes referred to as the “cultural hub” of the country, Tallinn was a place where we got to first see history and culture come to life before our eyes. Undeniably, we were immersed in Estonian culture at the singing festival. Here, we not only got to hear beautiful musical performances, but we also got to see how special this concept was in the hearts of the locals. We got to see and touch history as we walked through the old town, and were taught about a number of events that took place between and around those walls. 

From Tallinn, the second impression of the country we were offered was the city of Narva. Being on the border, we got a much more historical look into the country, and being our primary location of study, we also got to look more into what daily life may be like for local residents. The contrast between the architecture in Tallinn and the architecture in Narva alone already shined a bright light on the history of this city, and the country as a whole. Visiting historical sites and hearing about just how many layers of history brought this city to where it is now, was eye-opening.

The third city that we had the chance to visit was Tartu. Though once again drastically different from the other cities we had seen thus far, it is undeniable that parallels could be drawn. The colorful architecture and celebratory music brought back cultural concepts we had first seen in Tallinn and the depth of the history drew direct lines to similarities from Narva. In Tartu, we also got to explore a botanical garden, which emphasized the importance of nature in Estonian culture and daily life. This botanical garden was beautiful and did a beautiful job of highlighting nature as a very valuable piece of Estonia. 

Getting to explore more than just one city in this beautiful country has been incredibly important in getting a more complete understanding of what Estonia is truly like. Though undoubtedly there is still much to learn through further experience and adventure here, having this solid ground of multiple perspectives into the country is not something that can be taught through textbooks, but rather must be lived through. 

-Alicia